(CNN) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu makes one thing clear: His vision for the future of the Republican Party does not include former President Donald Trump.
In the latest episode of “Being…”, the GOP governor told CNN’s Dana Bash, “He’s done his time. He’s done his service. We’re moving on.”
Taking it a step further, Sununu — who just won a fourth two-year term in the Granite State by 15 percentage points — said it’s “un-American” to “be a country where the best opportunity for our future leadership is the leadership of yesterday.”
Unprompted, Sununu brought up Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a stronger potential candidate than Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
“There’s an argument to be made that someone like DeSantis could beat him in a primary today,” Sununu said.
As to whether DeSantis could actually beat Trump, Sununu was ambiguous: “Maybe. I don’t know. I mean, I really don’t know.”
Sununu told Bash he thinks “Ron would be a good president,” but he also feels the same about a lot of other Republican governors.
According to a new CNN poll, DeSantis’ favorability among Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters overall outpaces Trump: 74% view DeSantis favorably while 63% have a favorable view of Trump.
However, the survey also found that if Trump wins the party’s 2024 nomination, a likely majority of Republican-aligned voters would back him in the general election.
Trump announced his latest presidential bid just a week after the midterms last month. But DeSantis has taken a different approach: saying nothing about 2024 and letting speculation swirl. Several consultants in Florida have said DeSantis likely won’t jump into the race until after state lawmakers meet for their annual legislative session, which points to a May or June announcement next year.
Trump’s first-out-of-the-gate strategy hasn’t quieted chatter around other potential Republican presidential candidates, including Sununu himself.
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